KABUL, April 19: Former king Mohammed Zahir Shah on Friday paid an emotional visit to the mausoleum of his murdered father, Nadir Shah, on his first full day in Afghanistan since ending 29 years in exile.

The 87-year-old was accompanied by interim leader Hamid Karzai and the governor of southern Kandahar province Gul Agha to the tomb in the south of the city, where he was seen saying prayers.

Nadir Shah was assassinated within the grounds of the former royal palace in 1933 and his son’s ensuing 40-year rule is remembered as a period of relative peace and prosperity.

Zahir Shah was ousted in a coup in 1973 while on holiday in Italy. He lived in a villa outside Rome until his homecoming on Thursday.

Armed police could be seen at the site in a continuation of the tight security that has surrounded Zahir Shah since his return.

Italian police have been posted at his residence in the Wazir Akbar Khan locality.—AFP